recipe round up.

i did a books of 2007 round up last week, now it's time for the recipe round up. last year, i mentioned 66 books in this blog. i'm betting i only did about 40 recipes. let's see. . .

1.Ratatoullie
2.Baked Macaroni & Cheese
3.Garlicky Roasted Potatoes
4.Apple Pie
5.Chicken in Orange Sauce
6.Tabbouleh
7.Chicken with Olives
8.pasta. (yes, the home made stuff. no machine needed)
9.Corn Chowder (not really a chowder)
10.Pie Crusts
11.Challah
12.Cinnamon Raisin Bread (holy crap is this stuff good!)
13.Herb Citrus Roasted Turkey
14.Gratin Savoyard
15.Coq au Vin
16.Poulet Chasseur
17.Rice Crispie Treats
17.Sugar Butter Cookies
18.Burgundy Chicken
19.Potatoes & Mushrooms
20.The best Fajitas you will ever have
21.Chickpea Salad
22.My Favorite Burgers
23.Enchiladas
24.Cheater's Chili
25.Tart Tatin
26.Mushroom Barley Soup
27.Lemon Chicken with Olives
28.Beef Burgundy
29.Sweet Potatoes & Apples
30.Snow Peas with Tomatoes and Mint
31.Candied Carrots & Onions
32.Chicken Yakitori
33.Angel Hair Extensions
34.Zucchini Pasta

huh, only 34. oh well. looks like i read twice as often as i cook, and that's about right. although just this evening, i made Challah, oatmeal raisin cookies, and ginger snaps.

ginger snaps are totally my favorite. but i always make the cookies too big.

you need 2 large bowls, 2 cookie sheets, and all the other normal cookie making apparratuses (apparatusi?)

preheat oven to 350.

in the smaller bowl, whisk together:
3 3/4 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
4 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt

is it mixed well? ok, next step:

in the larger bowl, blend:
12 tbsp (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 2/3 cups sugar

when that is blended and light and fluffy, blend in:
2 eggs
1/2 cup molasses
2 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp finely grated lemon or orange zest (optional)

stir the flour mixture in the molasses mixture, and blend well, till it all looks the same. pull peices of dough out the bowl, and roll between your fingers into 1" balls (seriously, don't go bigger than an inch. these suckers get big in the oven!), and put on greased cookie sheets. you should get 12-16 per sheet. bake at 350 for 10-13 minutes. cook the longer time for really crunchy cookies, cook the shorter time for softer cookies. they will develop the signature ginger snap cracks while baking. remove to racks to cool.

makes 5-6 dozen cookies.